


The Case of the Popular Corpse

by propangel



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Case Fic, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Secrets, Murder Mystery, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-03-23 03:14:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13778475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/propangel/pseuds/propangel
Summary: Her hat on the edge of the river. There were a few blood stains here and there, and that was all.  She had a hunch she'd seen the last of Anna Gibson.Then she heard a faint noise behind her. Somebody was cocking a revolver. She knew without turning around where it was pointed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is not only going to be my first case fic, but also my first multi-chapter fic. I am drawing from my love of old-time radio detective stories for this one, so here's hoping I do it well...
> 
> (Thank you to the lovely OracleofDoom for her mad editing skills, and keeping me honest.)

  


Phryne was sitting in the parlor going through her correspondence when there was a knock at the door. Knowing Mr. Butler would answer it, she continued her task while waiting to see who it was. She wasn’t expecting anyone, but it wasn’t unusual for potential clients to drop by unannounced.

“A Miss Helen Harris is here to see you, Miss Fisher.” Mr. Butler stated as they reached the parlor doors. The aforementioned woman appeared behind Mr. Butler as Phryne stood up and crossed the room to greet her guest.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you, Miss Fisher.” Miss Harris muttered. She was plain looking woman with a loneliness about her that made Phryne feel somewhat sorry for her.

“Not at all, Miss Harris. How can I help you?” Phryne inquired.

“Miss Fisher, I want you to find my niece for me. Anna Gibson. I’m turning to you as a last resort.”

“Oh. I see.”

“I haven’t wanted anyone to know, so I’ve been making up excuses to them all about…about…Anna’s whereabouts,” Miss Harris stumbled over her words. “You see, it’s a rather painful matter to discuss.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the plain fact is, Miss Fisher. My niece ran away from home about a month ago.”

“I see.” Phryne acknowledged while nodding slightly. Her curiosity was growing as she waited for Miss Harris to continue.

“Oh, I suppose it was all my fault really.” Miss Harris began, “I should have made more of an attempt to understand her. But, well, there’s quite a difference between 55 and 29. More than just the years.”

“I imagine so.”

“And that’s made being her guardian a little difficult sometimes.”

“You think Anna’s here in Melbourne?”

“I’m positive of it. You see, Miss Fisher, Anna and I live – lived – out in the country about 40 kilometers. Near Yarra Glen. I still live there, but a month ago, well, she just left. Shortly afterward I got a note from her. She wrote that if any post came for her to forward it in care of General Delivery here. Her note was written on Grand Hotel stationery.”  
Miss Fisher nodded.

“Oh, and here’s a snapshot of her.”

Phryne reached out and took the photo from the older woman. Anna Gibson looked very young. Her flawless oval face with alabaster skin showcased small dark eyes that were evenly spaced. She had her chestnut hair neatly pinned in a chignon, and was wearing barely any makeup. 

“Very pretty girl, Miss Harris.”

“Oh, yes. Yes indeed.” Miss Harris responded somewhat forlornly.

“You don’t have any idea where she’d be, or anything that might help me find her?” Phryne asked.

“Well, she was fond of music and nightclubs.”

“That’s not much help.”

“Yes. I know. But it’s all I can offer, I’m afraid. She kept pretty much to herself. Sort of strange and quiet. Even her hobby is a strange one.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“She collects epitaphs.”

“Epitaphs? Is she mad?”

“Oh no!” Miss Harris exclaimed. “No. She has quite a collection.”

“Learn something new every day.” Miss Fisher marveled. “I can’t guarantee anything Miss Harris, but I will try to locate your niece.”

“Oh, please do, Miss Fisher.” Miss Harris paused while sighing, “Well there is another thing. I am not an alarmist, but I am a little worried about Anna.”

“Why, Miss Harris? Is she in danger?”

“Well, I might as well tell you that she has some enemies.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. One in particular. A man named….” Miss Harris stopped short.

“Yes?” Phryne nodded toward the woman in an effort to encourage her to continue.

Miss Harris hesitated slightly, “But that doesn’t matter. I’m sure if we can just get her to come back home, she’ll be safe, and everything will be all right, and I’ll be a very happy woman.”

“I’ll do everything I can, Miss Harris. I’ll be in touch.” It was obvious that her new client either wasn’t comfortable talking about the situation, or knew more than she would divulge. Phryne knew which way she was leaning, but it would take time (and some investigating) to prove it.

“Thank you, Miss Fisher.”

Mr. Butler appeared then, and escorted Miss Harris out.

Sitting back down on the chaise, Phryne spent a few minutes looking at the snapshot Miss Harris had given her. Finding Anna Gibson couldn’t be too hard. Could it?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a little short. I promise it's important to the story.

  
  
About 45 minutes later, another knock at the door startled Phryne out of her reverie. She looked up just as Mr. Butler showed in a very ragged looking man.

“Miss Fisher. A Mr. Rossi is here to see you.”

“Rossi will do.” The bedraggled man choked out.

“Thank you, Mr. B.” Phryne responded before turning to the new guest in her parlor. “What’s on your mind, Rossi, is it?”

He knew Miss Fisher could take care of herself, but Mr. Butler felt more comfortable staying in the room while Mr. Rossi was there. The man made him quite uncomfortable, and he could only imagine what a man like that could want with his mistress.

“I have a job for you. I want you to find someone for me. A girl named Anna Gibson.”

“Anna Gibson?”

“Yea. She’s here in Melbourne.”

“She is?” Miss Fisher tried to not look surprised at this turn of events.

“I’ll pay you 100 pounds to find her.”

“Well, you must be pretty anxious to see her?”

“I am.”

“Can I ask why, Rossi?”

“For 100 pounds, you ask an awful lot of questions.” Rossi sneered.

“Why do you want to find Miss Gibson?”

“Let’s just say I have something for her.”

“That is what I thought. What is it? Gold or lead?”

“What?” Rossi looked confused.

“Skip it.” Miss Fisher snapped. “Where are you staying Mr. Rossi?”

“That doesn’t matter, does it?” I can keep in touch with you here.”

“What’s the matter? You don’t like visitors?”

Rossi stood before her, dumbfounded, and offered no response to her query.

“Okay, Mr. Rossi. You keep in touch.” Phryne instructed. “I just might have something for you a lot sooner than you think.”

As Mr. Butler escorted the man to the door, she silently pondered this odd development in her case. Why on earth was this Rossi fellow looking for Miss Gibson too? He certainly didn’t seem like a suitor. Could he be the enemy that Miss Harris mentioned?

She had no need for the money Rossi offered, but this case piqued her interest. It also appeared to be more complicated than she originally thought it would be. That certainly didn’t sway her. She was determined to get to the bottom of it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation begins...

  


In her business, Phryne was used to surprises. Although, hearing the same story from two different people within in an hour was a little startling.

Both Miss Harris and that Rossi character wanted her to find Anna Gibson. She had a hunch, however, why Rossi wanted to find her.

She took the snapshot of Miss Gibson that Helen Harris had given to her, and drove to the Grand Hotel where Miss Gibson might have stayed for a while.

The clerk’s face lit up as soon as Phryne showed him Anna’s photo.

“Yea. Yea. She’s really something, huh?” 

“Do you remember her?” Phryne asked, biting her tongue.

“Remember? Sure. Anna Gibson. Could I forget something like that?” The clerk challenged. “Oh, look... Excuse me. I shouldn’t talk about her like that in front of a lady."

“No. Probably not.” 

“Well, she was a real looker. Sort of strange, though.” 

“How do you mean?”

“Always kept pretty much to herself, you know. Didn’t give a guy anything in the way of encouragement.”

“Yes. I see.” Looking at the man in front of her, Phryne understood why Anna wouldn’t have wanted to encourage him.

“Of course, I was only trying to be companionable.”

“Sure you were.” Phryne rolled her eyes.

“A girl all alone in the big city. I figured she’d be a little lonely.”

“Hmm. Hmm.” She glared at the man in front of her.

“But she couldn’t see it that way. That’s too bad.” The clerk closed his eyes and shook his head.

“When did she check out?” Phryne was more than ready to get this inquiry back on track.

“Day before yesterday. I, I think it was.” 

“So, recently then. I don’t supposed she left a forwarding address?”

“No. I tried to get her to. You know, just as a manner of record.”

“Yes. I’m sure that was your only reason.” Phryne suppressed her eye roll, just barely.

“But no chance of that.”

“One more thing,” Phryne added.

“Yea?”

“That bull-necked individual sitting over by the door reading the paper. Do you see him?”

“Yea. What about him?”

“Is he a guest here?” 

“Can’t place him. Why?”

“No reason. He came in a couple minutes after I did, and I was just wondering.”

“Afraid I can’t help you there.”

“Right. It doesn’t matter. Thank you.” Phryne waved the clerk off as she walked back through the lobby and out the front door.

On the way, she took a good look at _bull neck _, but he never looked up from his paper. She shook her head, wondering if it was just her imagination or if something else was going on.__


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How do you like that? She’s gone.” Phryne said to no one in particular.

  


The next day, for lack of any other starting place, Phryne went down to the post office to watch the people going in and out. Miss Harris had told her that Anna Gibson was getting her post care of General Delivery, so it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Sitting on a bench is nothing but dull. Definitely not the most glamorous side of investigating. Something, though, that must be done.

Finally, in the late afternoon, she spotted bull neck sitting across the street. This was an interesting development. Was he following her?

She must have stared at him for a couple of minutes before realizing she was supposed to be watching the General Delivery window. As she twisted her head around, there she was just melting into the crowd. Anna Gibson.

“Hey! Wait a minute! Anna!” She cried.

Just as she turned around to run after Anna, Phryne ran into an older woman walking down the sidewalk.

“Oi,” the older woman screeched.

“I beg your pardon madam. I didn’t see you.”

“Why don’t you look where you’re going?”

“I didn’t mean to bump into you. I’m terribly sorry.” Phryne huffed while trying to walk away.

“What are you trying to do…”

Phryne cut her off as she turned the direction Anna had gone, “I said I was sorry.”

“The nerve!” The perturbed woman spat as Phryne turned the corner.

“Hey! Wait a minute! Anna! Anna!” Phryne called after Miss Gibson again.

She was nowhere to be seen.

“How do you like that? She’s gone.” Phryne said to no one in particular.

Well, at least she had seen Anna. She could tell Miss Harris that her niece was indeed alive and in Melbourne.

That, however, could wait until the next day when she would pay Miss Harris a visit at her home. In the meantime, it was time to head to Wardlow for a hot bath and stiff drink. Not necessarily in that order. 

The drive to Wardlow was thankfully short, despite the traffic. She parked in front of the house and made her way up the path. When she entered the front door she could hear the piano being played in the parlor. Jack was home. That would certainly make her feel better about how badly the day had gone.

She laid her hat and handbag on the table in the entryway, smoothing her hair down in the mirror. Nodding approvingly at her appearance, she turned on her heel to walk into the parlor, silently approaching Jack from behind. She slid her arms around his neck, and leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Despite being otherwise occupied, he had known she was there before she even touched him. She had never quite learned her lesson from the stakeout in Queenscliff… Her French perfume gave her approach away every time.

He stopped playing and turned his head toward her face, hoping for a proper welcome. Phryne did not disappoint, pressing her lips to his and tightening her arms around him. She broke the kiss, and disentangled her arms, so she could claim her seat next to him on the piano bench.

“Hello, Jack. How long have you been home?” She purred as she leaned over to lay her head on his shoulder.

“Good evening, Miss Fisher. A while. Where have you been all day?”

“Wasting my time staking out the General Delivery window.”

“That bad?”

“I don’t know if you’ve ever tried sitting on a bench all day, Jack. If not, don’t. It’s nothing but dull.”

Jack chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in closer. “I take it this case is not as simple as you originally thought?”

“No, it’s really not. I saw her today, Jack. Miss Gibson. She was there. But when I went to follow her, I lost track of her in the crowd. I also think someone is following me.”

“What makes you say that?” Jack asked, a hint of concern touching his voice.

“Well, I have seen that bull-necked man two days in a row now. It can’t be a coincidence that he’s been at the same locations I am investigating.”

“Likely not. You’ll call if this turns out to be more than just a missing person?” He was trying to tread lightly here. He knew full well Phryne could take care of herself, but it didn’t stop him from worrying. If anything, since their relationship had changed, he worried more.

“Jack, darling, I would be more than happy to call you if I need you.”

About that time, Mr. Butler appeared in the doorway. “Miss. Inspector. Dinner is served.”

“Wonderful, Mr. B! Thank you. We’ll be right in.” Phryne turned to look at Jack as Mr. B nodded and turned to leave.

“Thank you, Phryne.” Jack stood up and offered his hand to her, drawing her up to stand next to him. He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her in close and planting a kiss on her forehead.

\---

Hours later, after Mr. B’s delightful dinner, drinks in the parlor listening to music and canoodling with Jack on the chaise, Phryne decided it was time for that bath. Jack led her upstairs to the en suite and started the taps of her oversized tub, adding a bit of the bath oil he knew she loved.

After undressing, they both entered the tub. Phryne leaned back into Jack’s chest, reveling in his warmth, and he held her close. Being here with her like this was one of his favorite ways to spend an evening. Just the two of them. Together. Relaxed.

After finishing their bath, Jack toweled her off, taking his time over every inch of her body. He carried her to their bed, the soft sheets beckoning them. The sight of her raven-colored locks laying across the pillows, her body glistening in the moonlight streaming through the window, had him eager and ready.

Leaning over, his bare chest brushing across her breasts, he kissed her. Long. Wet. Loving. She slid her arms around his neck, tangling her hands in his chestnut hair, her fingers running through his curls, loving the feel of them.

His hands skimmed down her body, stopping to pay attention to her breasts before moving across her belly to the prize he was seeking. Then his kiss became longer. Wetter. More passionate.

And for the rest of the night, thanks to Jack’s ministrations, Phryne forgot all about the case.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit to Miss Harris' home in the country is yet another dead end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for sticking with me on this. We're probably about halfway through at this point, and I hope you continue to enjoy it.

  


Phryne woke the next morning several hours after Jack had left for the station. She decided it was time to pay Miss Harris’ home in the country a visit.

“Mr. B, I’m heading to Yarra Glen today to visit Miss Harris. I’d like to let her know about the latest developments in the case with her niece.”

“Yes, miss.”

“I'll be back in time for supper. Goodbye, Mr. B!” she said as she donned her coat and hat, grabbing her handbag on the way out the door. Mr. B nodded and closed the door behind her.

She was underway within a few minutes, glad to be enjoying the sun and fresh air.

The drive to Yarra Glen took her a little over an hour. It was a beautiful drive through the countryside. Miss Harris’ home was a rambling old place that just sort of leaned tiredly against a grove of trees. Even the air around it smelled musty, and Phryne was beginning to see why Anna had left home.

There was a dehydrated-looking gardener wandering in front of the house prodding the ground here and there. She approached him carefully, so as not to startle him.

“Pardon me, sir.” Phryne called.

There was no response from the old man.

She waited another few seconds trying to not get irritated. “I’m talking to you.”

Still nothing.

“Oi. Is this where Helen Harris lives?” She impatiently yelled.

“This is where,” the old man finally replied.

“Well, do you tell her I’m here? Or do I knock? Or what?” Phryne was trying to temper her irritation.

“Ordinarily, you’d knock.”

“Well then, I’ll be ordinary,” she replied snidely, turning on her heel to head to the front door.

“Won’t do you any good.”

“Why?” she groaned.

“She isn’t home.”

“Oh. Well, chatterbox, would you mind telling me where she is?”

“Don’t mind. Except I don’t know.”

“Oh fine.”

“Away for the day. City probably,” the man continued.

“Well okay then. By the way, you knew her niece, Anna Gibson, didn’t you?” Phryne inquired.

“Sure did.”

“Did she ever say anything to you about where she was going when she left?”

The gardener was still prodding the ground, seemingly disinterested in conversing.

“Never did.”

“You’re a big help,” Phryne muttered, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

“I was away on a vacation when Anna left. I come back and she was gone. The maid Doris had left too. Guess neither of them like it here. Sore point with me, miss.”

“What is? Anna leaving? Or the maid?”

“Neither. My vacation. That’s the sore point.”

“Why is that?”

“Oh, Miss Harris she says to me before I went she’d get somebody to look after things while I’m gone. So she turned around and hired about the stupidest man she could find.”

She nodded at him to continue, although unsure if she really wanted him to.

“I don’t know who he was, and it was just as well.”

The gardener’s hackles were starting to rise now.

“Come on now. Take it easy.” She tried to soothe him.

“Well, the dumb bunny messed up all my work! Didn’t do anything right. Couldn’t even mow the lawn.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Even cultivated around my prized camellias. Think of that! Any plain, ordinary fool knows better than to cultivate around camellias.”

“Of course.”

“Why just thinking about it gets me so….”

Phryne cut him off as she started to walk away. “Easy, sir. Easy.”

“Why, if I were ever to get my hands on….”

“Unwind mister. Unwind. I haven’t the time for this. I’ll see you later!”

She broke away and made her way back to the car.

As she started the car, the old man fumed, “It makes me so doggone mad!”

Phryne left the old man hopping around doing some shadow boxing and turning the air blue. That was seemingly a dead end. She was getting nowhere fast, so she decided to head back into the city and try to figure out her next move. She had no ambition to camp at the General Delivery window again. Then she remembered that Miss Harris had told her than Anna liked night clubs and music. That was about as slim a lead as you could have, but it was better than nothing.

She headed home to Wardlow to change into something for an evening out. It was time to start making the rounds at the night spots that had bands.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phryne was beginning to think the missing woman wasn’t going to show. Then, all of a sudden, she was standing in the doorway. Anna Gibson.

  


Philippe’s was first on her list of places to check out. Hopefully, it would lead to some information on Anna’s whereabouts. 

She sauntered up to the bar, and placed the snapshot of Anna down on the bar in front of him.

“What’ll it be, miss?”

“This.”

“Hey. That’s nice. But not on the menu.” The bartender smirked.

“I’m well aware. Have you ever seen her before?” Phryne asked.

“I’m afraid I haven’t had the pleasure.”

“Thank you.” She started to turn away from the bar to leave.

“Hey. Wait a minute.” The bartender called her back.

“Yes, what is it?”

“When you find her, bring her in will ya? I’d like to meet her.”

Phryne rolled her eyes and walked away. One down, six to go.

She kept going and had covered five spots by midnight, but was about to give up. Nobody had recognized Anna’s picture, but they all wanted to see the original.

At spot number six, her luck started to pick up.

“Let’s have another look. Yeah…“ The portly bartender’s face flickered with recognition.

“She’s been in here before?” Phryne inquired.

“Yeah. Yeah. She comes in here every now and then.”

“Thanks. How about I take a seat? I think I’ll stick around a while. Just in case.”

“Make yourself at home, miss. Care for a drink?”

“I’ll take a Negroni. Thank you.” Accepting the drink from him, Phryne sat at the bar nursing it and waiting. She needed to keep her wits about her should Miss Gibson make an appearance.

After about an hour, Phryne was beginning to think the missing woman wasn’t going to show. Then, all of a sudden, she was standing in the doorway. Anna Gibson.

Seeming distracted, Anna walked in the front door and looked around. Just as she was about to leave, she locked eyes with Miss Fisher and darted toward the back of the bar. Phryne was on her feet in a hurry, running after her.

Anna fled out the back door, and Phryne followed. As she stepped out into the dimly lit alleyway, she watched Anna turn the corner of the building by the street. 

Phryne had started to follow when a burlap sack was thrown over her head. She struggled, trying to ascertain where her attacker was. Moving to strike in that direction, she was forcefully shoved toward the wall. She stumbled, fell into some trash cans, and the wind was knocked out of her.

The bag over her head was dislodged as she fell, and it slipped to the ground next to her. Feeling disoriented, Phryne took a moment to regain her breath before attempting to stand up.

“Miss, are you all right?” A young man in an apron asked her. Presumably, he worked at the bar she had just come out of. Phryne wondered if he had seen who attacked her.

“I don’t suppose you know what became of who did this to me?” She managed to get out once she felt able.

“Sure. I heard the noise and got out here in time to see him going into the all night drug store. See it? Across the street and down a ways?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah. He seemed like he sort of wanted to keep an eye on you. He hasn’t come out of there yet.”

“Good. He’s about to have company.” She smoothed her clothes down, and reached into her handbag. Handing the young man a card, she made a request. “Please call this number and ask for Detective Inspector Jack Robinson. Please tell him to meet me at the drug store as soon as he can.”

“Yes, Miss,” he replied before going back into the bar to presumably make the call.

Phryne crossed the street and started for the drug store. Hand on her pearl-handled revolver inside her handbag, she arrived at the door to the establishment and saw a face she instantly recognized. Bull Neck.

He seemed startled to see her. He backed toward the rear of the store as she followed. He picked the wrong way, though, there was no way out.

“Get away from me, Miss Fisher,” Bull Neck spat out.

“No. We’re going to have a little talk, Bull Neck.”

“I got nothing to say.”

“We’re going to change that,” Phryne started. “Who hired you to tail me?”

“Go on. Beat it.”

“Let’s have it. Who hired you?” Phryne winced a bit as she moved toward him, and he made to run past her.

“Miss Fisher, if you know what’s good for you…” Bull Neck started.

“I know what’s not good for me,” Phryne interrupted, slipping into her old Collingwood accent. “Getting hit by you a couple minutes ago is one of those things. Now, open up before I get the answer out of you the hard way.”

“I said beat it. I’m not telling you nothing.”

“You’re begging for it, aren’t you?”

As he made to dart past her, Phryne landed a punch straight to his gut as her foot made contact with his shin. Bull Neck cried out in pain, but continued to advance on her. There was more punching, shoving, and some glass breaking.

After a few minutes, Bull Neck groaned, “Lay off already. Lay off.”

“Feel more like talking now?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“All right, then. Who hired you to tail me?” Her resolve did not waver as she stared at the man in front of her. “Come on, talk!”

“Rossi.”

“Rossi? What’s his angle?”

“I don’t know!”

“Come on, Bull Neck. Open up or we’ll go round again.”

“I’m giving it to you straight, I tell you. I don’t know why Rossi hired me. That’s all I know. Rossi hired me.” He was exhausted and ready for this to be done.

“Well, I think maybe you better retire from active service. As of right now.” Phryne pulled her revolver out of her bag and hit the back of Bull Neck’s head with the butt of it. He slumped to the floor in front of her just as Jack and one of his constables came through the door.

“Your timing is as impeccable as always, Inspector.” Phryne smirked.

“What do we have here, Miss Fisher?” Jack took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was about to come.

“This is that bull-necked individual I mentioned the other evening. He decided to take it upon himself to assault me while I was running after the missing woman I am trying to locate for my client.”

“Are you hurt?” Concern furrowed his brow as the constable went over to place handcuffs on the unconscious man on the floor.

“I’m fine. It was nothing.” She waved him off, trying not to show how much pain she really was in. Nothing a stiff drink and a hot bath couldn’t fix.

Jack knew she was lying, but he also knew he had to maintain his professionalism. Narrowing his eyes at Phryne, he addressed his officer, “Constable, let’s get this man back to the station.”

The constable got the man to his feet and started out the door. Jack walked toward Phryne, making sure no one was watching as he reached out for her hand. He gave it a quick squeeze as a gesture of reassurance, and then released it.

“Miss Fisher, you’ll need to come back with me to make a formal statement.”

“Of course, Inspector.” She followed him out of the store and made her way to the Hispano to follow Jack to City South.

She was no closer to finding Anna than before, but squaring off with Bull Neck for his assault made her feel a little better about things. This case was getting stranger with each passing day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna didn’t waste any time. She headed in the direction of the river. And fast.

  


After making her statement at the station, Phryne returned home to address her injury. She was glad Jack had to stay and deal with the paperwork from Bull Neck’s arrest. He could be quite the mother hen when she was injured during a case, and that wasn’t something she wanted to deal with right now.

She was pretty sure she had seen the last of Bull Neck and the man who hired him – Rossi. But that just showed how wrong one can be.

As she walked to the front door of Wardlow, none other than Rossi was sitting there on her porch.

“Hello, Miss Fisher. You found Anna Gibson yet?”

“What are you doing here, Rossi?” Phryne was irritated, and in pain. Never a good combination.

“Asking you if you found Anna yet.”

“You’d know if I found her yet or not. That bull-necked baboon of yours has been keeping you posted,” she spat out, not bothering to hide her anger.

“I don’t know who or what you’re talking about, Miss Fisher.”

“No, no. Of course not. I know why you want to find Anna, and I’m not going to be party to it. You will never find her through me. Bull Neck is in police custody as we speak, so he will no longer be your go-between. Now go away!”

“All right, Miss Fisher. All right. But you haven’t seen the last of me. That’s a promise from me to you.” Rossi turned to walk down the steps and left the property, not bothering to look back.

Phryne was more interested in a hot bath and bed at that moment than she was in Rossi’s promises. Shaking her head, she went into the house and upstairs to turn in for the night.

\---

The next morning Phryne decided she better try again to see Miss Harris, in order to report her findings. Miss Harris saved Phryne the trouble, though, by showing up at the house shortly after Phryne had enjoyed breakfast.

“Good morning, Miss Fisher. I understand you came out to the house yesterday.”

“Yes, I did.”

“I am so sorry I missed you. Have you found anything out yet?” Miss Harris inquired.

“Well, I can’t tell you were Anna is. At least not yet.”

“Oh, I see,” Miss Harris muttered.

“She’s alive. That much I know.”

“She is? Are you sure?” Miss Harris asked, somewhat agitated.

“I’ve gotten a couple glimpses of her. “

“Oh, Miss Fisher! That’s wonderful! You don’t know how happy I am to hear that. What a relief it is.”

“You said Anna had an enemy. You started to name him, and then you stopped.” Phryne decided it was time to finally broach that subject.

“Well, I thought it best not to say any more about it.”

“I think we better. Is his name Rossi?”

“Rossi? I…,” Miss Harris stammered.

“Is it?”

“Yes, Miss Fisher. It is Mr. Rossi,” she replied sheepishly.

“I think you had better tell me why he’s looking for her, Miss Harris.”

“Yes. Yes, I supposed I had. You see, Miss Fisher, I’ve acted in a sense as Anna’s guardian for some time now. The periodic sums of money in her inheritance have always been paid to me, and I regulated her finances. But for the last year, I received no money from the estate up north. Anna told me that all the inheritance had been paid.”

“You found out differently?” The pieces started to fit together some for Phryne.

“Yes. Anna finally confessed that she had been intercepting the money to pay Rossi.”

“Blackmail?”

“Yes. She wouldn’t tell me why.”

“Hmmm…” Phryne pondered this for a moment before she spoke again. “Well, cheer up Miss Harris. We’re not licked yet. I must admit, though, that I am fresh out of leads. Is there anything you forgot to tell me about Anna that might help?”

“No. No. I can’t think of anything.”

And that’s when it hit Phryne… “Wait a minute! You did tell me something that might help. You said that Anna’s hobby was collecting epitaphs.”

“Why yes, that’s right Miss Fisher.”

“That’s the one thing I haven’t tried. The cemeteries.” Not that this idea held anymore appeal for Phryne than the General Delivery window, but this was her last resort.

“But there are so many of them,” Miss Harris whispered.

“I know, but it’s worth a try. I better get started now. I’ll keep you posted, Miss Harris. Who knows? Maybe we’ll hit the jackpot with our last nickel.”

Mr B. showed Miss Harris out, and started making a list of all the cemeteries that were noted for interesting epitaphs. She hoped she wasn’t wasting her time, and that this would be a more productive investigative avenue than the others had been.

\---

Phryne left the house and went from one to another on her list with no luck. A little before dark she arrived at the New Melbourne General Cemetery. Way across the place, a couple hundred yards away, she saw a woman walking among the crypts. She started toward the woman, and was still more than 100 yards away from her when she turned her head and saw Phryne.

It was Anna.

Anna didn’t waste any time. She headed in the direction of the river. And fast.

“Hey! Hey Anna! Wait a minute! Anna!” Phryne cried out in the direction she was running.

She looked down for a moment, to maneuver her way through the cemetery without incident, and when she looked back up Anna was gone.

“For crying out loud… She’s gone. Here we go again,” Phryne said, not hiding her irritation.

She kept going toward the river because she knew that Anna had to be around there somewhere. It was getting pretty dark now. And a chill could be felt in the air. 

Finally, she got to the bushes near the bank and parted them. And she stopped. Anna’s hat was on the ground by the river’s edge, and there were a few blood stains here and there. That was all.

She had a hunch she’d seen the last of Anna Gibson.

Then she heard a faint noise behind her. Someone was cocking a revolver. She knew, without turning around, that the gun was pointed at her spine. Due to go off at any second.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She blinked and looked again. No. She wasn’t imagining things. Sitting there at the bar, down at the far end, was Anna Gibson.

  


As situations went, this really wasn’t great. Here she was with Anna Gibson’s hat on the ground in front of her on the river bank, and a gun pointed at her from behind. She didn’t know who was holding the gun, but she didn’t have to wait long to find out.

“Went a little too far, didn’t you Miss Fisher?” Rossi sneered at her.

“Ah. Rossi. Can’t say I’m surprised.”

“You’re going to come with me right now. And no tricks, or you’ll get one right in the back.”

“The way Anna Gibson did?” Phryne asked.

“If you want to put it that way,” Rossi replied while taking a step toward her.

“Ordinarily there’s nothing I’d like better than to accept your invitation, but right now I really haven’t the time.” Phryne’s tone changing to anger as she lunged at Rossi, knocking him off balance.

“Miss Fisher!” He shouted into the darkness as a gunshot rang out.

She was lucky the light was bad. The slug plowed into the dirt and just missed her neck when it ricocheted. She kept to the bushes, and kept moving fast. A couple of times she could see Rossi outlined against the sky, but she finally shook him.

She made it back into the city, and suddenly realized she was near the bar where she had gotten a glimpse of Anna the night before. So, she dropped in.

She sat there for quite a while, nursing a drink, waiting. She was almost ready to leave and drive out to break the news to Miss Harris when she happened to look up. She blinked and looked again. No. She wasn’t imagining things. Sitting there at the bar, down at the far end, was Anna Gibson.

This time she didn’t lose out. She got to the side door a step before Anna did, and grabbed her arm. Anna started to struggle and tried to break free.

“Let go of me!” Anna cried out.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Phryne’s irritation obvious.

“I’m leaving.”

“Good. We’ll leave together then. Come on. Come on outside. Here we go.”

Anna was protesting as Phryne practically dragged her out the back of the bar.

“This alley ought to do nicely. Now, let’s have it. What’s this all about?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Anna replied, indignant.

“Oh, you very well know what I am talking about,” Phryne started, “Come on. Give it up Anna. Why this hard-to-catch routine you’ve been giving me the last couple of days? Also why the fake murder setup on the river bank?”

“Oh,” Anna avoided making eye contact with Miss Fisher. “I’m getting out of this deal now. I’m washing my hands of it. I haven’t done anything and they can’t prove I have. I’m sick of all this”

“Whatever are you talking about?”

“Miss. I am not the girl you want.”

“Don’t give me that, Anna. I have got a picture of you, and saw you twice in the last couple of days.”

“Oh, I’m the girl you’ve been chasing all right. But I’m not Anna Gibson.”

“What?”

“No. My name is Doris. I was the maid out there at Anna’s and Miss Harris’ place.”

“Yes, but…but what…” Phryne began as she tried to make sense of everything.

“Well, I’ll tell you all I know. And that isn’t much.” Doris finally looked at Phryne’s face. “I was hired to stay in town to let you see me, but not catch up to me. I wasn’t expecting you’d come back here tonight. I was supposed to make it look like I had been murdered down there at the river. My boyfriend was hired too, to follow you and report your progress.”

“Your boyfriend? You mean _Bull Neck _? I still don’t see…”__

Doris cut her off to continue the story. “If anyone asked us, we were supposed to say Rossi hired us.”

“But Rossi really didn’t hire either one of you, did he?”

“No,” Doris paused to take a deep breath. “Believe me, miss, I’m telling the truth.”

In that moment, Phryne thought Doris was indeed being honest. She started remembering things all of a sudden. Things the withered little gardener had told her. That Anna must have left while he was away, and that someone had been cultivating around his prized camellias. About then it all began to make sense, and she knew exactly what had happened.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rossi turned on her, and his face was white but his gun didn’t waver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thank you to Oracleofdoom for her continued editing prowess, and also to the ladies in the Writer’s Lounge who helped me with a wording choice I wasn't sure about.

  


Phryne drove out to Miss Harris’ home. It was dark and quiet.

She fumbled around until she found a shovel leaning against a lath house. Then she went over to the camellia bushes and started to dig. The ground was soft and it wasn’t from rain.

She had a pretty strong hunch what she’d find.

Two feet down she stopped. It wasn’t a pretty sight. She didn’t have much time to brood about it, though.

“Good evening, Miss Fisher,” Miss Harris hissed. Phryne hadn’t heard her approaching while she had been digging in the garden.

“Miss Harris?”

“Yes. Kindly do not move. I have a gun.” Phryne froze where she was as Helen continued. “So I see you’ve discovered my dear departed niece’s resting place. Very clever of you.”

“You killed the real Anna Gibson a month ago.”

“It will be a month tomorrow. It was very convenient of you to have dug your own grave, Miss Fisher.”

“Grave?” Phryne shuddered.

“Yes. You will rest in peace beside Anna there.”

“Now wait a minute…” Phryne realized then she still had the shovel in her hands.

“Put down that shovel! Put it down!”

Miss Harris shot at Phryne, and it hit the shovel and ricocheted.

“Come on now. Let’s have that gun,” Phryne spoke as she advanced toward Miss Harris and dropped the shovel. They wrestled for the gun, and Helen screeched in protest as Phryne overpowered her and took the gun from her hands.

“There. That’s better.” Phryne’s triumphant look made Helen that much more angry.

“Drop the gun, Miss Fisher,” a voice boomed from behind her.

“Rossi?” Phryne inquired as she dropped the gun reluctantly.

“Yes. Rossi,” he uttered as he reached down to pick up Helen’s gun and put it in his coat pocket.

“I can explain…” Phryne started as Rossi cut her off.

“You won’t get away this time, Miss Fisher. Nor you, Helen.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Mr. Rossi,” Helen muttered.

“If you’d let me get a word in here…” Phryne tried to break into the conversation once again.

“You haven’t time for many more words, Miss Fisher. You killed my cousin. That’s why you’re going to die too.” Rossi spat out.

“Your cousin?” Phryne asked incredulously.

“Yes. Anna Gibson.”

“Anna? But…”

“A little while ago down on the river bank. I missed you then. I won’t miss you now.” Rossi cocked his revolver.

“Rossi, you’ve got it all wrong. Helen hired me to….”

Rossi interrupted her again. “Yes, I know that Helen hired you. To kill Anna. I know all about Helen.”

“I tell you. I don’t know what you’re…” Miss Harris started to refute Rossi’s accusation, but he cut her off too.

“You’ve been stealing the money from Anna for two years, Helen. From the estate. I became suspicious and came here to investigate.”

“So that’s your motive for this,” Phryne countered. “Anna found out you were taking her money, confronted you, and you answered all her questions permanently.”

“Don’t try to get out of this Miss Fisher. Helen here hired you to kill Anna.”

“Now, you listen to me, Rossi. Or whatever your name is. I’m telling you the truth when I say I had nothing to do with this. Helen killed Anna. You came to Melbourne to investigate. When she found out you were coming to see me, she got to me first to discredit you. She hired her maid to pose as Anna.”

“No good, Miss Fisher.”

“Can’t you get it through your head that Helen killed Anna a month ago?”

“A month? What are you talking about?”

“Look at this hole in the ground behind me. Look!” Phryne shouted, gesturing at the hole.

He looked. For quite a while. Helen started to edge away, but not soon enough. Rossi turned on her, and his face was white but his gun didn’t waver. It was pointed right at Helen’s head. There was only one thing Phryne could do at that point… Put herself between Rossi and Miss Harris and persuade him to let the law take its course.

“You don’t want to do this, Rossi. Don’t you want justice for Anna?”

“Get out of my way, Miss Fisher! That woman is going to pay for what she did to Anna,” Rossi spat out.

“Yes she is, but you need to let the police handle it. If you murder Miss Harris, it makes you no better than her. Is that really what you want?”

Rossi hesitated for a moment before his shoulders slumped. He knew she was right. Phryne reached out to take the gun out of his hands, and he yelled, “She’s getting away!”

Her attention had been diverted trying to keep him from killing Miss Harris, so Phryne hadn’t seen her run away. She turned in the direction Helen had run, and saw _Bull Neck _with a very irate Miss Harris struggling in his grasp. Doris was right behind them, walking up the drive to the house.__

“What are you doing here?” Phryne was surprised to see them. She had honestly expected that Jack still had _Bull Neck _in the cells.__

“I found Doris here outside of _The Cat’s Pajamas _, and she told me about her conversation with you. We decided to pay Miss Harris a visit to see what exactly she got us into. She’s got some explaining to do.” _Bull Neck _locked eyes with Miss Harris. “What the hell did you get us into?”____

__

__

____

____

While Miss Harris stared at the ground in silence, Phryne decided it was best if she handled the explanation.

“Miss Harris killed her niece over a disagreement about Anna’s inheritance. In order to keep receiving the money, however, Anna had to be seen alive. That’s when she hired your girlfriend to pose as Anna, hoping not only to keep receiving the money, but also to keep anyone from finding out about the murder. She also hired you to keep an eye on me,” Phryne gestured to _Bull Neck _. “When I got too close to the truth, though, she had to make ‘Anna,’ who was really Doris, appear to have been murdered. I ran into Doris at the club and the pieces started to come together. What I still haven’t figured out, though, is why you attacked me?”__

____

____

Phryne looked directly at _Bull Neck _as she asked the question, and he just stood there stunned. Doris piped up then, “He was released on a technicality, miss. Since you didn’t actually see _him _attack you.”____

__

__

____

____

“While that may be true, Doris, he was there and had been following me in the days leading up to the attack. Therefore, I would have been hard pressed to come up with another suspect.”

_Bull Neck _stepped forward then, but didn’t release his hold on Miss Harris. “Name’s Clyde, miss. I’m real sorry for what I did. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just doing what I was hired to do - keep you from finding out Doris wasn’t really Anna.” he croaked, seemingly remorseful for what had transpired.__

____

____

Phryne was about to respond, but was interrupted by a car coming up the drive. She recognized it immediately and knew she was going to be in hot water with one of its occupants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience with me during this fic! As it was my first case fic, I wasn’t sure how it was going to be received. I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read and let me know their thoughts, which have been really encouraging. RL hasn’t allowed me a lot of time to write as of late, so the next chapter(s) may be delayed a bit. I’m hoping to wrap everything up soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When we last saw our dynamic duo... Jack had driven out to the Harris estate in Yarra Glen, and found Miss Fisher already there with our cast of criminals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry this wasn't finished before now. RL got in the way, and then I couldn't figure out how to end it, and then more RL. Thank you to those who followed along. I hope the ending will make you happy.

  


The vehicle in question stopped on the drive in front of the group. Jack turned off the engine, and got out of the vehicle. One of his young constables followed on the other side.

“Inspector,” Phryne purred.

“Miss Fisher.” Jack nodded in her direction, trying to keep his emotions in check.

“What brings you out to Yarra Glen?”

Jack’s eyebrows shot up without a second thought, and he wiped his hand down his face to conceal his rising anger. 

“As you can see, I have everything well in hand,” Phryne continued, motioning to Clyde holding Miss Harris in his grasp.

“Yes, Miss Fisher, I can see. I will relieve you of that,” Jack motioned to the gun Phryne was holding. “Constable, please place Miss Harris under arrest.” 

The constable nodded at his superior and walked over to Miss Harris. Clyde slowly released his grip on her as the constable placed the cuffs on her wrists. 

Phryne pursed her lips. She could tell Jack was not exactly thrilled with the scene he came upon, but this was not the time to talk about it. It would have to wait until later. 

  


_Later at the station... ___

____

____

Phryne opened the top drawer of Jack’s file cabinet and retrieved two glasses and the crystal decanter, pouring them each a generous amount of whisky. She placed Jack’s on the desk in front of him, and slumped into the chair in front of his desk with hers in hand. 

An awkward silence had fallen over the office, and Phryne knew she had to deal with the situation head on. Jack was obviously upset with her, but he wasn’t going to bring it up himself. So, with the hope of adding a little levity to the situation, Phryne spoke first. 

“You really do need to work on your timing, Inspector.” 

Jack raised an eyebrow at Phryne as she took a sip of her whisky. “If you didn’t insist on rushing headlong into danger without telling anyone, things would be a lot easier, Miss Fisher.”

“I am who I am, Jack. You know that is not likely to change.”

“I wouldn’t want it to, but it won’t stop me from worrying.” He released a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. Hearing her words brought back memories of another time, when things were so different between them.

“I know darling. It is one of the many reasons I love you so.” Phryne smiled at him, and reached out for his hand. She intertwined their fingers and took a deep breath before continuing. “How did you know where I was, Jack?”

“I didn’t actually. Something Mr. Walker said during his interrogation was niggling at me, and I wanted to look into myself before talking to you.” 

Jack released her hand, and looked down at the report he had started on, leaving her hanging. After a moment or two, Phryne sighed heavily. “Are you going to share, Jack?” 

Jack cleared his throat and replied, “Mr. Walker mentioned that Miss Harris had given his girlfriend, Miss Gary, her niece’s clothing and jewelry. He couldn’t understand why she had done that and then gone and hired you to find Miss Gibson. If she expected her niece to be found, it didn’t make any sense to be giving away her possessions. I thought I would check into it myself before involving you. Just in case it turned out to be nothing.”

“Well, it certainly was something, Jack,” Phryne hesitated, “I am glad you showed up when you did. It was turning into quite the affair at the Harris estate.”

Jack knew that was as close to an apology as he was going to get. “All in a day’s work, Miss Fisher.”

Phryne took a deep breath and asked the next obvious question, “What do you think will to happen to them, Jack?” 

“Miss Harris will certainly be hanged. Fraud is one thing, but murdering her niece guaranteed her the noose. Mr. Walker and Miss Gary will likely get probation. They are willing to testify against their now former employer which helps.”

“That is good news. I am quite sure I can find Doris a maid position somewhere. In fact, a friend of mine recently had one quit to get married. I’ll make the call tomorrow. And Bert and Cec probably have contacts at the docks to help Clyde find a position doing something less illegal.”

Jack nodded and raised his glass to his lips. He knew she’d want to help the young couple in whatever way she could. It was just part of her nature to help the underdog. 

Phryne met his eyes and smiled at him before looking down at her watch. 

“Are you ready to go home? I’m sure Mr. B has cooked a veritable feast for us.”

Jack looked at the unfinished report in front of him, and hesitated for a moment. “I am sure this will keep until morning.” 

“Indeed,” Phryne replied as she got to her feet.

Jack got up from his desk, walking around to grab his hat and coat. Gesturing to the door, he smiled.

“Lead the way, Miss Fisher.”

“With pleasure, Jack.” 

Linking arms, they walked out of the station into the warm Melbourne evening.

  


**The End ******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final A/N: Whew! This was my first attempt at a case fic, and it might also be my last. I am finding that I work better with scenes than bigger stories. When I started this fic, I was very hesitant to start posting without it being finished. My biggest fear was that I would get to a point where I couldn't go on, and then I wouldn't finish. Thankfully, though, that didn't come to fruition. (It just took seven-ish months to get it done!)


End file.
